The Legend of Spyro and Cynder:Dawn of Ancient
by Xerneas
Summary: One Year After the Sacrifice of Spyro,the Dreadful Clan of Seven Dark Dragons called the Shadow Dragon Warriors will create Havoc in all of the Realms and the Ancients Legends will Come to the Rescue Once More,No Flames Please. HOLD
1. Ambrose and the Revival of Spyro

Chapter 1:Ambrose and the Revival of Spyro

One Year after the Sacrifice of King Spyro,the Dragon Gods and Reaper have Stayed in Twilight Kingdom to Help Queen Cynder out in her duties,but her temper seems to have turned to the Worse since the Sacrifice of Spyro,she have spent One Hour in front of the Royal Tomb of King Spyro the Whole Year,Ignitus and the Others Gods have Noticed the Temper of Cynder and Have Went in a Reunion.

**Ignitus/Time God: I Feel bad for King Spyro**

**Apollonir: What can we do,we can´t ressurect Dead Dragons,this goes against the Laws of Nature**

**Oberon: You´re Great Right Apollonir**

**Lars Lion: But What can we do**

**Exedra: There is a Way to bring King Spyro from the Dead without breaking the Laws of Nature**

**Galaxia: His Spirit is now a Part of Twilight Kingdom,as it´s his choosing to sacrifice himself to protect this Kingdom**

**Frosch: There is Always a Way,we need to Search for the Ancient Ones**

**Apollonir: Are you speaking about the Ancient Legends Dragons**

**Exedra: They Have Vanished from this World.**

**Ignitus/Time God: Exedra,you aren´t very Logical are you,they are Living in the Spirit Grotto**

**Galaxia: AH the Spirit Grotto,the Only Way to get there is via the Ancient Jewel**

Ignitus and the Others Dragons Gods went to the Lowest Level of the Twilight Treasure Valve,they Searched hard after the Ancient Jewel with no Luck,Ignitus summoned the Power of his Big Crystal to project an Hologram of every Dragon or Dragoness that have appeared in the Royal Treasure Chamber and Saw Cynder Grabbing the Ancient Jewel and Selling it to Hunter.

Ignitus and the Others Dragons Gods went to Avalar searching for Hunter,they went in his house,but they find the House Empty,Ignitus and the Others Dragons Gods asked Prowlus about Hunter,Prowlus speaked that Hunter is in a Vacation somewhere related to ocean that is near some Bright Town.

Ignitus returned to the Twilight Kingdom and wandered in the Road to the Twilight Beach,once he arrived into the Sandy Twilight Beach,he saw Hunter layed down in some Beach House apparently enjoying the Beach,Ignitus went to Hunter asking about the Ancient Jewel,Hunter Grabbed the Ancient Jewel and handed it over to Ignitus.

Ignitus returned to the Twilight Kingdom and revealed the Ancient Jewel in his Possesion to the Dragon Gods,the Dragons Gods Happily thanked Ignitus for getting back the Ancient Jewel but unfortunate for them the Ancient Jewel only has Power to sending only one Dragon to the Spirit Grotto,the Dragons Gods debated about who has to go to the Spirit Grotto and ultimately reached the Decision in Ignitus going into the Spirit Grotto,since Ignitus has the Most Bond to Spyro.

Ignitus Grabbed the Ancient Jewel and Powered the Jewel for the Jewel make Apollonir go with him,Apollonir Grabbed the Ancient Jewel along with Ignitus,Ignitus activated the Ancient Jewel,he and Apollonir went to the Spirit Grotto,they saw the Spirit Grotto and saw that the Spirit Grotto was empty left for eight Dragon Statues,Apollonir Sit Down in some Strange button and activated it not knowing what it will do,but suddenly the Eight Statues began to Crumble revealing Eight Old Dragons and Dragoness.

**Ambrose: Who Dares to Awaken US from OUR Slumber**

**Ignitus/Time God: Excuse us,Ambrose,Ancient Fire Legend,but we have a Task that is Reviving King Spyro**

**Ambrose: We Know of King Spyro but Reviving a Dead Dragon is Against the Laws of Mother Nature**

**Ignitus/Time God: We Already Know this Ambrose,sir,but Queen Cynder needs King Spyro**

**Ambrose: Silence Ignitus,you have defied us when you created the Time Eclipse**

**Ambrose: But there is a Way to Revive Spyro if his Spirit Lives On embracing the World**

**Ignitus: What way is that to revive him,Ambrose Sir.**

**Ambrose: We Administre the Good Spirits of Dead Dragons and we already have the Spirit of Spyro in Our Possesion**

**Ambrose: The Final Step is to create a New Body for him**

**Apollonir: That is Great News for us**

**Ambrose: If you need us we will move to the Twilight Kingdom with you.**

Ambrose used his Powers to Send him,Apollonir and Ignitus to the Twilight Realm,Ambrose asked for a Big House to him,Apollonir Escorted Ambrose to his New House,Ambrose Thanked for his New House,Ambrose walked inside of his New House with the Spirit of Spyro,Ambrose mentally asked Help from the Others Seven Legends,they agreed with the Call of Help and goes to Ambrose´s House and Helped him Created the New Body of Spyro,an Method that has to be held until the Night.

In the Night,the Process of Creating the New Body of Spyro was Finished and his New Body was equally as Big as his Previous Body,but his New Body have Golden Scales,White Underbelly,Three Sets of Silver Horns,Red Nails and a Purple Amulet in his Neck,Spyro waked up very groggy and asked where he was,Ambrose answered that he is in the Twilight Kingdom,King Spyro have saw his new body and liked it very much,Spyro went to the Twilight Palace,he went to Cynder´s Room and saw her,Cynder didn´t believed in what he Saw,Spyro gently kissed Cynder who have sensed that Spyro is in front of her and began to cry.


	2. King Spyro s Big Return

Chapter 2: King Spyro´s Big Return

In the Dawn of a New Day,King Spyro,was Awakening nicely but sometime after he awakened he began to have Visions of his Sacrifice,King Spyro walked to his Royal Tomb and Was Real Furious and very confused to why he was brought back to Life,King Spyro Ambushed Ignitus when he was Leaving his Room,he cornered him and angrily demanded Answers to him,Ignitus explained that Ambrose resolved that he was in necessity of reviving in a New Body,one body that Could Handle the Twilight Element without the Deadly Recoil of Death,cause only one Dragon have Mastered Twilight but have died because of the Deathly Recoil Factor of the Twilight Element,King Spyro was Still Angry and Stormed Off in Search of Ambrose.

King Spyro Encountered Ambrose in his Custom-Made House,taking a Nap in some Giant Cushion,King Spyro slapped Ambrose in his face causing him to wake up,King Spyro Roared for some answers to why he was Reborn,Ambrose Kindly spoke that King Spyro still hasn´t fulfilled his Purpose,that was to Make Renegades Dragons One of Us,he explained that still have Renegades Dragons in the World,they are Known as Spectra,Phantom,Mylene,Shadow,Hydron,Volt,Lync and Zenoheld,they Are Shadow Dragons that were Shunned by the Original Twilightians and because of this,the Renegade Dragons Created a Hate of the Twilightians,the Shadow Dragons were banished to the Dark Twilight Realm by Drake and Hydra,the First King and Queen of the Twilightians and Because of the Banishment,they Vowed to them that they will take Revenge in the Royal Family of Twilight,Thus Hereby Creating the Shadow Dragon Warriors.

Ambrose also Spoke of the Newborn Elements of King Spyro,they are Convexity,Twilight,Corrosive Fire and Thunder Fire,Ambrose also explained that the New Powers of King Spyro enables him to Fuse some Elements to Make More Powerful Elements,Ambrose Kindly Told King Spyro that he is the only one who can change the Shadow Dragon Warriors into Twilightians Dragons,King Spyro was happy to hear about his New Powers,Ambrose also Revealed that his Purpose is that he must Talk the Shadow Dragon Warriors out of Revenge.

King Spyro went to the Royal Library to Learn More about the Life of Drake and Hydra,but he couldn´t find anything in the Books about them,but he found some hidden stairway that have lead to a Empty Chamber save for one book that contained the Life of Drake and Hydra,he Grabbed the Book,but only he could see blank pages of the Book,Spyro was very curious about what important this book could Offer,but only he could find was Blank Pages,Spyro Frustrated Tossed the Book into the Statues of Drake and Hydra that was side by side in this small room.

Meanwhile,Cynder were making decorations for the Big Party for the Return of Spyro,she was being helped by the Dragon Gods,Cynder was Greatly Overjoyed by the Return of her Darling Spyro,the Dragon Gods could see the Happiness in Cynder´s Eyes and were very Happy to see that the Twilight will be booming with vitality now that the King has returned more Powerful and Wise than Ever,but Galaxia sensed some sinister distortion in the Energy of the King,she quickly left the Banquet Hall and quickly walked to the Secret Room,she begin to secretly see Spyro while hiding from him,she only could see that King Spyro´s Body showed some darkness tinge of energy in his scales,she was shocked that the Darkness will try to free himself again,King Spyro Angrily clawed some of the Walls of the Small Room but Galaxia intervened and Spyro struck Galaxia in the Foreclaw,she hurtily spoke that Spyro never could be subdued to his anger or he will turn into a Shadow Warrior and without King Spyro´s Newfound Power the Future will be only Chaos and Destruction,Spyro calmed down and tumbled over into a deep coma.

While in that deep coma,King Spyro appeared inside of him and only could see Black Smoke forming a Tunnel to the Inner Depths of him,King Spyro walked that Black Tunnel and encountered Two Dragon Stones similar to the Dragon Stones of the Hidden Room,the Two Dragon Stones begin to Crumble away revealing two energy beings,they glared to King Spyro and moved to his sides,they were very happy to see him.

Male Energy Being: **So we finally meet King Spyro for the First Time after Our Death**

Female Energy Being: **Wow,you have Grown very Strong Dear Spyro**

Male Energy Being: **Right Now,you aren´t very Wise,you must see through the illusion to be True Wise**

Female Energy Being: **He Speaks the Truth King Spyro,right now you aren´t capable to deal with the Shadow Warriors**

King Spyro: **Who Really are you,show yourselves**

Both Energy Beings: **We Are Drake and Hydra,your True Parents**

King Spyro was both relieved and angry with them showing themselver only now,Spyro barked to them and Spit Black and White Flames in the direction of both of them,they reacted quickly,dodged the Black and White Flames,after that they stepped into King Spyro pining them into the ground,both of them spoke that Spyro is really weak and must see through illusion to gain the Power needed to Learn from the Book that he encountered,they revealed that Lars Lion and Ignitus are Masters of Illusion,they must help him into Mastering the Illusion Element,the Key Element into Repelling the Control of the Shadow from the Shadow Warriors.

King Spyro woke from the coma and were startled by the sudden yell of the Party,commemorating the Rebirth of King Spyro,King Spyro smiled happily with the presence of everyone.


	3. A Royal BreakUp

Chapter 3: A Royal Break-Up

King Spyro slowly got up after the deafening yells of the Dragons caused him to stir from his coma,They all surrounded him with heart warming smiles and cries of joy.

**Many Happy Returns,Sire,**Galaxia Praised

**Good to have you back,King Spyro,**Oberon commented happily

As the Others encircled him and continued their appealing speeches,their infectious smiles managed to turn his confused look into a toothy grin.

He managed to get a quick glance at the decorated room,The Stone walls were covered with banners saying **Happy Rebirthday King Spyro**,balloons of various different colours littered the floor,occasionally being kicked up in the air by a casual paw,the tables which were propped against the side of the room were covered in plates of party food,mats which lay on the tables were adorned with pictures of golden crowns,commemorating the Status of the King.

However what really made him stop and stare was what lay at the far end of the enormous Hall,it was a layered punch bowl,about six feet tall and made of glass,While it sparkled and glistened in the dark gloom of the evening,the top layer of the punch bowl was adorned with a portrayal of a glass dragon roaring in defiance,The punch ran out from its gaping mouth,filling up the top layer,it then dripped down to the next layer and on the cycle of liquid went on until it stopped it´s decent at the bottom,to which the punch slowly wound its way up the central column to begin the cycle all over again.  
**Do you like the decorations**,a feminine voice called out to him,he turned around to see his ebony Queen standing before him,all the others parted so that he could make his way over to her,They both wrapped themselves in each other´s wings,their white and pink underbellies gently rubbing against each other,perfectly happy to be in each other´s company once again.

**I´ve really missed you**,she whispered softly

**I´ve missed you too**,he whispered back

Whilst this romantic engagement was happening between the two,nearly everyone in the room turned to glance at the pair,each one of them wearing smiles on their faces,They were glad that their King and Queen were back together,normality resumed in the Twilight Kingdom.

They were entwined for a few moments more before they eventually broke apart,Their subjects turned away from them and continued their conversations,not wishing to embarrass the young couple.

**Well,I must admit I do like your new look**,she giggled as she ran a dark paw over his majestic golden scales.

**Thanks**,So how have you been coping

**Well enough**,she sighed,**although it was never the same without you,It really is no fun trying to run a kingdom by yourself,Every day I used to visit your tomb,pining for you and hoping you will return.**  
King Spyro nodded in acceptance,It was nice to know that even after his sacrifice,she still thought and remembered him,he placed a comforting paw on her shoulder.

**Well now that I´m back,we can start running this kingdom together once again.**

He leaned in,closed his eyes and kissed her on her dark lips,his serpentine tongue connecting with hers,He had been away from her for far too long and all he wanted was for this romantic moment to last forever,as soon as their lips parted with huge grins on their faces,Cynder nodded in the direction of the party tables

**Come on then**,she said,nipping his neck sweetly,**let´s go get you some food.**

So they went over to the tables and feasted on the delicious delectables that were on offer,They then began mingling with the rest of the congregation,indulging in casual conversation,When King Spyro went to drink from the punch bowl,he bumped into Ignitus and Lars Lion chatting to each other,when they saw him,they bowed respectively and padded towards him 

**Salutations,King Spyro**,Lars Lion said gracefully

**Hello,Lars Lion and Ignitus**,the King replied

**My King**

**I have been meaning to have a talk with you both**,Spyro said as he placed his forepaws on the table of the punch bowl,hauling his head up to the bottom layer of the punch bowl.

**Oh yes,what about sire**,Ignitus asked

Before he answered,Spyro looked at the crimson liquid,which was almost as red as his claws,He was feeling thirsty and took a great gulp of the concoction,Immediatly,he fell back with his head lowered to the floor,coughing and spluttering,Ignitus and Lars Lion smiled,trying their best not to burst out laughing

**It is a Little on the strong side sire**,Lars Lion expressed.

**You´re telling...me**,he added coughing vigorously.

After a few moments,King Spyro managed to regain his composture,his flushed face standing out completely from the rest of his gold scaled body

**I understand that you two have mastered the element of Illusion**,King Spyro commented

They both looked at each other with confused expressions on their faces,They then returned their attentions to their majesty.

**We do**,they said together

**Could you teach me how to master it**,he asked

**King Spyro,you´ve just been resurrected,I don´t think this is a Great Idea**,Ignitus spoke up.

**Please**,he pleaded,**I have been told that mastering illusion will help me in overcoming the Shadow Warriors and bringing them to the good side**

They looked at each other again,this time their faces bore unconviced looks,However,he was their King,they came to the conclusion that he knew what was the best.

**Very well sire,When would it be the better time to start**,Lars Lion asked.

**How about tomorrow**,he suggested

**Tomorrow it is**,Ignitus agreed,**Meet us outside the palace gates at sunrise,we will guide you from there**

**Okay,sunrise it is,Enjoy your evening,**The King replied and walked away,his golden scales appearing to glow even brighter.

He walked back to Cynder with a spring in his step eager to start his training the next day.

The early morning sun glinted over the horizon,its rays bathing everything it touched into a pool of ethereal light,Lars Lion and Ignitus had to narrow their eyes at the sight of their king when they met him outside of the Palace Gates,his golden scales had become so bright in the daylight that they could not look at him directly.

**Why do you squint at me**,he asked them

**Forgive us sire,it´s just that your scales are so divine and...**

**Forget it,right,where do we go from here**

**There´s a clearing a short walk from here,sire,We will teach you there.**

**Why couldn´t we practice in one of the rooms in the Kingdom**,Spyro quizzed

**It´s more convenient sire,no one will interrupt us out here,Plus it would be pointless to waste such a gorgeous day**,Ignitus replied

With that said,they walked away into the confines of the forest  
At midday when Spyro returned to the kingdom,Cynder looked as if she had seen a ghost,when she found him walking down a corridor to their quarters,she embraced him with her slender wings and affectionately nuzzled him.

**Where have you been**,she asked clearly worried.

**Nowhere**

She Removed her wings and stared at him,an angry look embraced her maw.

**Don´t you give me that,I´ve been worried out of my skull,When i awoke and you weren´t next to me,I was scared something had happened to you**

**I just went out to take care of something,it´s nothing to worry about**

**What´s going on**,She asked hastily

**It´s just something that Lars Lion and Ignitus are teaching me,so don´t worry if I´ve gone out early for the next few days**

**Well you could have woken me up and told me**,She suggested.

Spyro shook his head and walked away from her,He entered their quarters and slammed the door in her face with his golden tail,Why does she have to know where I am every second of the day,I can look after myself,she didn´t have to worry about me,He slowly padded over to his king size bed and slowly crept beneath the covers,the training had been intense and his limbs just felt nothing but tension and exhaustion,He closed his eyes and within minutes he had drifted off into slumber,His Queen stood where she was,she couldn´t believe the sheer cheek of it,the Spyro that she had just seen was not the one she fell in love with,Maybe he´ll be different at my birthday party,He´ll perk up then,she thought confidently,She then walked away so her lover could get some rest and get preparations ready for the big occasion.

Several days passed as the King´s intense training continued,The art of mastering illusion was proving to be a tough one,but day by day he was beginning to get the hang of it,On walking back from the forest,they praised him for his efforts.

**Well done,my King,You are progressing well**,Lars Lion commented

**You think...so**,Spyro replied,slightly out of breath

**Most Definitely**,Ignitus said,**For me,the illusion element was difficult to master,But trust us sire,you will master it.**  
King Spyro nodded and as soon as they were back in the Kingdom,The King parted from the pair and headed for his royal quarters,forgetting that it was the day of Cynder´s Party  
**I hope he´s got enough strength left for the party today**,Lars Lion laughed

Every Dragon and Dragoness in the Kingdom turned out for the Celebratory happening of Cynder´s birthday,The chamber was decorated with banners stating **Happy Birthday Queen Cynder** on them,Ballons with a silver crown hung from the ceiling,In the middle of the buffet,a gigantic cake lay in the middle,it was baked in the shape of a crown and covered in silver the day,Queen Cynder had glorious presents thrust upon her,her favorite on being a three foot glass statue of a dragon and a dragoness with entwined tails and conjoined lips but the best present she was about to receive was her King coming to wish her a happy birthday.

However she was growing increasingly anxious as he had not yet arrived,Galaxia sensed her uneasiness and padded over to comfort her.

**Do not worry my Queen,I am sure King Spyro will be along shortly,He is probably still with Lars Lion and Ignitus**

Even though Cynder was anxious and nervous about Spyro´s absence,she managed to put a brave smile for the God Dragoness.

**I Know,It´s just that he barely talks to me,he´s always exhausted from his sessions with Lars Lion and Ignitus,I don´t know how much I can take,Galaxia,if he forgets my birthday,then...I.**

**Now don´t fret my Queen,i´m sure he will be here soon enough**,Galaxia said comforting her.

**I hope so**

As Galaxia put a paw on Cynder´s shoulder,Lars Lion and Ignitus entered the chamber,Cynder waited for the golden sheen of Spyro´s scales to enter her emerald eyes,sadly though it never came,Shortly Ignitus and Lars Lion approached Cynder,their wrapped gifts held tightly in their maws,they dropped them at her feet and bowed to their Queen.

**Happy Birthday Queen Cynder**,Ignitus began

**Where´s Spyro**,she blurted out

Both of them looked at each other,their faces blank

**We don´t know,Queen Cynder**,Lars Lion replied

**Well I bet I can guess**,She snarled and raced off into the adjoining corridor with fury in her eyes

King Spyro snored loudly in his royal bed,beneffiting greatly from the soft pillow beneath his three horned head and the purple plush covers that wove around him,he was so exhausted,he had totally forgotten about his lover´s birthday,Cynder´s claws wrapped loudly on the ground as she angrily wove down the castle´s various passages,when she eventually was outside her and Spyro´s chamber,she thrust open the wooden door with a graceful paw,letting it bang against the wall,this resultant sound caused Spyro to wake suddenly and sit bolt upright.

**What was that**,he burst out

Cynder couldn´t believe the sight she was seeing,he was in bed and not even caring that it was her birthday,her features stiffened,she slowly grinded her fangs.

**And what are you...doing in bed**,she yelled furiously,slightly out of breath

**What does it look like Cyn**,he replied casually

**How dare you,I went to...all that trouble of arranging a party for you,I take you back...into my life and this is how you repay me**,she shouted

**Cyn,calm down,what**,he began

**DON´T YOU TELL ME TO CALM DOWN**,she roared,**I HAVE TRIED TO LOVE YOU AS I ALWAYS HAVE DONE,BUT YOU HAVE IGNORED ME,SHUNNED ME AND NOW TO TOP IT ALL,YOU FORGET MY BIRTHDAY**

Spyro got out of bed and tried to place a golden paw to comfort her,but she rapidly swiped it away.

**Cynder,please don´t**

**NO**,she screamed,tears now slowly running down her midnight cheeks,**THIS IS IT,I LOVED YOU**

She slashed him deeply across the face with her three ivory claws on one of her forepaws,he grimaced in pain and backed away from her,he glared at her,blood starting to trickle down his golden scales.

**IT´S OVER BETWEEN US**

She ran out of the room and left the door ajar,all he could hear were her claws rapidly tapping the ground and her agonising sobs of heart ache until they faded from his ears,the blood that was running down his face was now dripping onto the chain of the purple amulet he bore around his neck,he sighed heavily and looked out the window,Dark rain clouds hid the sun from view and slowly rain drops patted against the glass,King Spyro hung his head in shame.

**What have I done**,he wept.

Cynder came bursting into the corridor in floods of tears,All the Dragons and dragonesses turned to look at her in shock,She stopped at the heart of the chamber and collapsed to her haunches,she cried silently to herself for a few moments before Galaxia walked over and nuzzled her affectionately

**What´s wrong my Queen**,she asked

**I...h...hate...him**,she sobbed

**What´s wrong**,Galaxia asked again

She was about to answer when she suddenly raised her dark head and spotted the glass statue,she ran over to it and used her razor tail blade to slice it in two,she continued to do this over and over,roaring at the top of her lungs and tears continuing to slide down her soft cheeks,the congregation just stood in shock,not quite believing what they were seeing,**I HATE HIM**,the Queen wailed as she sliced into the statue again,when she finally ceased,she plodded down on the ground with exhaustion,sadness and anger on her face,the statue was broken into hundred of tiny shards that were scattered across the chamber,Cynder curled herself up into a ball,closed her eyes and continued sobbing,feeling vulnerable and empty inside.


	4. Unexpected Guests

Chapter 4: Unexpected Guests

The pitter-patter of the rain striking the glass windows of the royal chamber awoke his majesty far too early in the morning for his liking,his eyelids slowly retracted,revealing two amethyst orbs,He groaned slightly and rubbed them with a golden paw,clearing the sleep that had formed in the corners,he yawned as he began to awake properly,his wide moouthed expression revealing rows and rows of sharp pearly white fangs.

He sat up and gazed out of the windowpane,the storm was still going strong,dark rain clouds cast a blanket over the Twilight Kingdom,the distant woods and valleys becoming a dark abyss,occasionally lighting up the occasional flash of lightning,he cast a sour look at the sight of the torrid weather and then glanced over at the other side of the bed,expecting to see his Queen lying peacefully beneath the white bed covers,However when he found Cynder absent,he suddenly remembered what had occurred the day before,he slowly ran three blood red claws across his face,hoping that he imagined it. 

Please let it all be a bad dream,the voice in his head pleaded,he grimaced in pain when his paw found three cuts indented across his right cheek,he quickly tossed the covers off of him and padded across to a large mirror that was fastened to the brick wall,when he was a few inches away from its silvery surface he stopped and took in his appearance,The three deep red marks eclipsed his golden sheen,their pattern ran down from his cheek and curved downwards to nearly embrace his maw,King Spyro stared open mouthed at what the Dragoness had done,again he slowly ran an aureolin paw over his injuries,ignoring the stinging sensation.

**That Mad Scaled Queen**,he started to blurt out.

Then he recalled what she had said no matter hard he tried and realized that he couldn´t blame her for what she did,no matter how hard he tried,He sank to the floor in disgrace,ashamed of what he had done.

**How could I treat my Queen this way**,he growled to himself,**I was so obsessed with learning the Element of Illusion that I completely forgot about her birthday,How could I have messed up so badly.**

He lay there for what seemed like an age,jabbering about how he loved Cynder and how he should have treated her better,the occasional deafening boom of the lightning halting his incessant rant,Then finally a knock came at the door,the King halted his mumbling and slowly got to his feet,stretching out his majestic golden wings and moaning slightly as he worked some of the exhaustion out of his still tired limbs,No reason why anyone should see me in such a vulnerable state,Things are bad enough as it is,he thought to himself.

**Enter**,he said in a sophisticated tone

The gold knob turned with a groan and the wooden door opened to reveal the shimmering blue form of Ignitus in the doorway.

**Good Morning my King,I hope I didn´t wake you too early.**

**No,no Ignitus,I was already awake**,Spyro expressed

**A Messenger awaits you in the royal chamber,my King,she has flown many miles to get here.**

The elderly dragon cast his gaze from Spyro to look out of one of the windows at the rain rapping against the glass,an expression of sheer annoyance was pasted across his features.

**Let´s hope the letter has not been damaged by this weather defect**,he added before letting the door close behind him.

His Majesty paused for a moment to let the information sink in,I must put my duty as a King first before my own problems,I will make up to Cynder but right now the Kingdom comes first,he thought and with that he let his golden legs carry him out of the room and down the hall,his blood red claws click clacking on the stone floor and the chain around his neck which carried the purple amulet jangled as he went.

As he entered the chamber,the place where only the day before Cynder´s party had been held,King Spyro found several Dragons cleaning up the mess that was left,he found himself watching his step as hundreds of glass shards littered the floor,He beckoned to an icy blue Dragoness who was one of the Dragons clearing up this shattered glass,The King deciphered from her youthful appearance that she was still in her teenage years.

**Young Dragoness,who caused this**,Spyro inquired

**I am afraid to say it was the Queen,sire,yesterday she came here in a very emotional state,We don´t know what had happened,but when she saw the glass statue,one of her birthday presents,she went ballistic and started smashing it up,Whilst she was doing this,she yelled I hate him,before collapsing on the floor.**

The fact that he had certainly caused Cynder to act in such a way greatly disturbed him,however his majesty didn´t let it show.

**Do you know where she is now**

**I´m afraid I don´t but yesterday after she collapsed on the floor,Galaxia went over to her and comforted her for some time,once her majesty had calmed down she then led the Queen out of the chamber,in order to get away from prying eyes,That was the last time I saw her.**

**Okay,thank you**,the King said,satisfied that Cynder was safe.

The Dragoness bowed her head and continued to clear up the debris,he continued to walk to the front of the chamber where the Dragon Gods and Goddesses had gathered,King Spyro was unaware of this but ever since his Queen appeared to have a mental breakdown,the entire Kingdom had been talking about it,the Dragons were anxious about the relationship of the two monarchs,some rightly guessed that it had happened because of a subtle argument between them,however they were divided on whether they would get back together or separate and bring the Twilight Kingdom into ruin,Others said that the King had been caught with another Dragoness in his quarters and Cynder had bargem in on them,a few even suggesting that this is a conspiracy created by the Shadow Dragons,but most waved away those claims.

As his golden sheen came into view,the Gods and Goddesses ceased their gossiping and bowed respectfully to their ruler,he replied with a swift nod of his head,Ignitus went over to him bringing a bedraggled electric yellow Dragoness with him,they both bowed to Spyro before Ignitus spoke up.

**My King,this is the messenger who arrived this morning**,he said gesturing towards her.

King Spyro looked at her in detail,she had mellow scales,canvas coloured wings,a blue membrane and underbelly,bright orange eyes and a leather satchel around her neck,although she tried to keep up a tidy appearance,she couldn´t hide the raindrops that were falling from her body,thanks to the horrific storm,she had been subjected too,even though she was shivering she carefully unclipped the pouch and took out a folded piece of parchment with a clawed forepaw,she handed it to his majesty

**This message comes from your t...twin Brother Draco and the twin Sister of the Queen,F...Faith your majesty**,she said through chattering fangs.

His amethyst eyes lit up when he heard this,quickly he unfolded the piece of parchment and read it to himself,The letter said that the two Dragons were going to be arriving at the Twilight Kingdom in two days time for a visit and they hoped it wasn´t a bad time to come,it would be nice to see those two again,although if I do agree to this,I need to get back with Cynder,either today or tomorrow,They´ll know that something´s up the second their paws touch down on the stone cobbles,he thought,The King looked up from the letter once he had finished reading it and looked at the Dragoness

**Thank you for delivering this letter to me,If you wouldn´t mind waiting a while,I have a reply for you to deliver to Draco and Faith.**

She nodded and Spyro turned his golden body around and padded towards his room with Draco´s and Faith Letter delicately clasped in his mouth,but then he stopped when he heard someone sneeze quite violently,He looked round and saw the electric Dragoness shivering violently from her ordeal with the weather,He heard Ignitus say if she wanted a towel to clean herself up,but she said she was fine and didn´t want to intrude upon anyone,Spyro felt for her,having to go through that terrible storm time and time again,He looked out of one of the windows in the chamber,the storm was now going stronger than ever,hail rapping against the glass,wind crying and wailing,Any full grown Dragon would have a difficult ordeal trying to get through it.

This decided it for his majesty,he ran over to Ignitus and the now coughing messenger,he then took the letter in his paw so that he could speak. 

**Listen,you are not going out in that storm again until it had died down,you´re wet through and will likely be out of action for days unless you don´t,get some rest and recuperate,Have you got anymore messages to deliver today.**

**No s...sire**,she replied still violently shivering

**Then go down to the baths on the ground floor and have a good long wash and when you are done,take one of the towels that are available,find a spare room and rest there,Ignitus will help you find your way around,okay.**

**But k...King Spyro**,the Dragoness began

**No buts,Now go and recuperate,you´ve had a difficult journey and I would feel guilty if I let you go out in that Storm**,He insisted

Ignitus brought a comforting blue forepaw to her cold yellow one before she could reply.

**Come on,King´s orders,Let´s get you cleaned up**

Spyro nodded his thanks to the veteran and while he padded off once again to his room to write his letter,Ignitus took the Dragoness to the lower levels while the congregation in the chamber continued to gabble and gossip 

After several hours of torrent wind,earth shattering thunderbolts and hail as large as a draconic eye,the storm finally ceased and weak rays of sunlight slowly pierced through the black masses of clouds,Four dragons slowly walked outside as the last of the rain cleared up,The castle gates opened and the forms of Lars Lion,King Spyro,Ignitus and the messenger came through

**Are you feeling better now**,Spyro asked the Dragoness

**A Lot Better,thank you sire**

**Young Dragoness,don´t feel like you´re intruding if you ask for something in this Kingdom,we are all friends here**,Ignitus commented

**At least we try to be**,Lars Lion remarked 

They uttered a short laugh before his highness gave the letter to the messenger,She carefully folded it up and placed it in her satchel,She then spread out her majestic canvas wings and flapped them a few times,She bowed once more to the Golden Dragon before taking off and steadily rose into the sky,They all watched her fly into the distance until she disappeared behind a copse of trees.

**Charming Girl**,said Spyro

**I know,She was too modest but she looked quite young,maybe when she matures a bit more,she´ll gain more confidence**

**I suppose,now if you wouldn´t mind could we continue with the Illusion training,I feel I´m close to mastering it now.**

Lars Lion and Ignitus noddes and followed their King into the forest,their paws making a slight squelching noise due to the dampness of the ground 

From her window the Queen watched the three Dragons enter the confines of the forest,Her eyes were red and irritable from crying,As she watched the King disappear from view,tears slowly crept out of her irises once again,She put her dark head in her paws and sobbed quietly,When Galaxia led her out of the chamber yesterday she took Cynder to a spare bedroom,one opposite her own quarters,Galaxia stayed with her for hours as Cynder told her what had occured,Galaxia comforted her with kind words and telling her it will all be okay but although Galaxia´s words eventually soothed her soul,they did little to change her mind.

She slept vey little that night,crying into her pillow regularly,She still though Spyro didn´t care for her and didn´t want to be with her,This wasn´t the Dragon that she fell in love with all those years ago,A knock on the door caused Cynder to cease sobbing,althought tears still poured down her moist cheeks as she opened the door to Galaxia.

**Good Morning Queen Cyn...are you okay**,Galaxia said,concern in her voice

Cynder´s lip trembled and she burst into floods of tears,Galaxia quickly closed the door and sat her down on the bed,Cynder was trembling all over

**He...doesn´t c...care for me**,she sobbed

**That´s not true Cynder,Spyro loves you very much**

**Oh really...I s...saw him just n...now going into the f...forest with Ignitus and Lars Lion**

Galaxia put a Dark Purple paw on her shoulder

**Maybe he just has something to take care of,he has a Kingdom to run**

**But he also s...supposed to h...have a Queen to look after and...love,Why didn´t he come searching f...for me**,She questioned

**Trust me my Queen,Spyro does care for you,Although I sense a lot of confusion and puzzlement in the King,he is stung with both guilt that he forgot your birthday,but a great deal of love for you also**

**R...Really**,Cynder sniffed

**Yes and when he entered the chamber this morning,he talked to one of the servants to ask about what had happened to you**

**You´re not j...just saying that**

**No,he still cares for you no matter how deeply you cut him**,Galaxia said confidently

She laughed through her sobs and hurriedly wiped her eyes with an ebony paw,The Queen had always been closer with Galaxia than any of the other Dragons and the Galaxy Goddess knew how to take care of her

**Now take that frown and turn it upside down and I´ll get us some breakfast,We don´t want to see the Queen looking vulnerable,do we.**

As Cynder´s mouth curved upwards,Galaxia got off the bed and walked out the door,presumably to pester some servants on getting them some grub,As Cynder looked out of the window,small rays of Light began to peak through the glass

Lars Lion and Ignitus stood in the clearing along with their King,they had been there for some time and now the sun shone down upon the surrouding trees and directly upon their back and necks,sweat dripped from their overheated bodies but they continued nonetheless.

**Now try again,sire,I saw a glimmer of your duplicate just then,concentrate just that little bit more**,Lars Lion said

King Spyro grumbled to himself as he had been trying to concentrate for some time but gritted his teeth and attempted to summon a duplicate of himself once again,He focused his energy and closed his eyes tight shut,Once again Lars Lion and Ignitus saw a shimmer of the King but this time it grew stronger,This time they saw golden scales instead of just a transparent body,a grey leaf shaped tail blade and shimmering silver horns,The duplicate remained idle and stood where it was,not looking or speaking 

**King Spyro,stop**,Ignitus ordered

His majesty stopped concentrating and opened his eyes,When he saw his mirror image,he could scarcely believe his eyes,He slowly walked around it,admiring it like a sculptor would

**It´s scary how it looks like myself**,The King replied amazed at what he´d had created

**I know**,Lars Lion chuckled

**Now we have to animate it**,Ignitus commented

The two older Dragons then instructed his majesty on how to make it talk,walk and eventually fly,Spyro found all of this quite easy,once he´d conjured his double,for all he had to do was imagine the words or action,in his head and the fake Spyro would obey instantly,He felt a great pang of joy enter him when he saw his double flying high in the sky,however Ignitus warned him not to take it too far up.

**Illusion is a fickle thing,the further you are away from your double,the harder it is to control and it will soon start to fade and disappear if it gets very far away from the Creator**,Ignitus persisted

Spyro eventually brought the fake King down to the ground in a controlled landing,he then faded away the duplicate,leaving only the real King standing on the still moist ground

**Well done my King,You´re a Natural**,cried Lars Lion

**I agree,the first duplicate isn´t always convincing when one first summons it,but yours looked very convincing,And now that you have created a double,it will be easier from now on**,Ignitus informed him

**Thank the ancestors for that,**Spyro boomed**,If I concentrated anymore,I would have exploded**

They all laughed and Ignitus hurriedly wiped swear from his head

**I say we have all earned a drink,there´s a freshwater lake near here,let´s go and refresh ourselves**,Ignitus said

They all flew back to the Kingdom in high spirits,the sun reflected on their fine scales and the wind whistled by them in a flourish as they sped towards the castle,They flew over the gates and touched down gracefully in the courtyard,They casually walked inside the castle,their claws making an echoing sound on the tiles

**Thank you for teaching me Illusion**,Spyro thanked

**It was an honour,Sire**,they both replied

**I will meet with you later,I´m going to my quarters to freshen up**

The two Dragons bowed to the golden scaled Dragon and went their separate ways,King Spyro walked up the seemingly endless stairways to his room,when he arrived he closed the door and exhaled sharply,happy to know that he had done what his parents Drake and Hydra had asked him to do and he hoped that his new power would aid him in confronting the Shadow Dragons,He walked over to the basin and turned the tap with three sharp red claws,water gushed out and with his forepaws he took some of the water and washed his face,cooling and shooting his face until the three scars started to sting 

He grimaced and suddenly realised what he had to do,he took a nearby towel and washed his face of water,being careful to not touch his delicate scars that Cynder had given him,then he placed the towel back on the hook,padded out of his room and remembered what the servant had told him this morning and went off in the direction of Galaxia quarters 

**In a minute,there´s something I want to give you first**

Her green eyes lit up with excitement and amusement

**What is it**,she quizzed

**Come with me**,he answered

He walked over to the door and opened it for her,she nodded her thanks and when he followed her into the corridor,he wrapped his golden tail around her ebony one and led her through the corridor and up several flights of stairs to the battlements at the very top of the castle

He walked over to the door, and opened it for her; she nodded her thanks and  
when he followed her into the corridor, he wrapped his golden tail around her  
ebony one, and led her through the corridor and up several flights of stairs  
to the battlements at the very top of the castle,their draconic claws click-clacked along the stone as they reached the top level,they were open to the elements here and soon Spyro could feel the shivers running through Cynder´s body

**Brrr,it isn´t half cold**,the Queen uttered

**I know but trust me,it will be worth it**

They walked right to the edge,a small brick wall separated them from brickwork to nothingness,The sky was still as majestic as before,Stars twinkling in the black night sky,a full moon shone down on the pair,making Cynder and Spyro´s coat of scales gleam

**So why did you bring me up here**,she asked him

**Well I know I forgot to give you a presente and I know you´ve always liked fireworks...**

Cynder gasped as she knew what he was going to do

**Spyro,you´re not saying...**

**Oh I am**,he grinned

He threw his neck up to the sky and from his mouth he shot a blast of thunder fire,it´s glowing embers and mellow electric bolts shot up into the air,He stopped and looked out to where in the dark confines of the night a copes of large trees lay,Cynder scannes the forest for a while,until a whirring sound suddenly emanated from the copse from the copse of trees and a small fireworks forked it´s way upwards to the sky and then blasted in a bright display of orange jets,a fraction later it followed with a loud bang,Cynder screamed with excitement and watched in awe as dozens upon dozens of fireworks were released into the air,the varying coloured jets of purple,blue,orange,red,yellow and pink lit up the forest in exquisite brilliance

Cynder was wide eyed and open mouthed at the sprays of light and booms of sound,this was by far the best presente she has ever received,his majesty saw the look on his mate´s face and giggled with satisfaction

**I take it you like then,I used up the whole stores worth of fireworks,all for you**

**Oh Spyro,I love it**,she said as tears began to trickle down her cheeks,not of pain but of pleasure

She slowly turned to him,the dazzling light occasionally lighting up each other´s faces every time one went off,She was reflected in his dazzling purple orbs as she got closer to him.

**Oh Spyro,thank you...Thank you so much**

And with that,she pulled him into a gratifying smooch,she kissed him over and over again,their tongues going like wild animals in the other´s mouths,her tears slowly evaporated on his cheeks,making them moist and easing the stinging sensation of his scars,as they continued their embrace,every Dragon and Dragoness stopped whatever they were doing to enjoy this magnificent display,most of them didn´t know what it was for,but they were happy to just glance at the array of lights that lit up the sky and marvel at the booms and echoes of the fireworks,the remaining sparks from the jets of light filtered down to the ground slowly vanishing into nothingness on the cold forest floor

The next day Spyro and Cynder never left their chamber,they stayed in bed curled up to each other and telling the other how they were sorry for what happened,servantes came to offer them foog and all the Dragon Gods and Goddesses arrived during the day to chat with them and express how gratified to see the young couple back together,Cynder was especially glad to see Galaxia,when she arrived to congratulate them on their reunion,Cynder jumped off the bed and pulled the Galaxy Goddess into an embracing hug

**Thank you for everything Galaxia**,she smiled

**Not at all...my Queen**,she said,struggling to speak because the Queen was holding her so tight

**Cynder,give Galaxia some air**,Spyro laughed after seeing the expression on Galaxia´s face 

Cynder quickly pulled her out of the hug,allowing Galaxia to breath normally again

**Oh,I´m sorry**,she giggled

When they were alone that night,Spyro remembered that Draco and Faith were supposed to be arriving first thing tomorrow,he cursed himself for forgetting and then quickly told Cynder

**If your head wasn´t screwed on...**,She said quite agitated that he´d forgotten something else very important

The next day the Dragon Gods waited outside with their King and Queen in the beaming sunshine to welcome Spyro´s twin Brother,Draco and Cynder´s Twin Sister Faith,soon enough,out of the woods,came two black Dragons,Spyro´s and Cynder´s faces were filled with satisfaction when they saw the pair,they walked casually,taking in the morning glory and chatting softly to each other,however,they differed in that Draco had twin silver horns jutting out from behind his head,a sleek purple underbelly and wings,Faith had golden horns as majestic as Spyro´s scales,a dark green underbelly and wings and divine silver eyes as shiny and glamorous as a suit of armour

As Draco and Faith came closer to the contingent of Dragons,Spyro and Cynder couldn´t contain their excitement any longer and ran over to their respective twin and pulled them into hugs,Draco and Faith were startled at first,but then put on charming smiles

**They are please to see us**,Faith said to Draco

**This Kingdom isn´t that bad is it**,he asked them

They all laughed and as soon as the King and Queen split from their twin,Cynder slowly nuzzled Draco while Spyro did likewise with Faith.

**So how have you two been**,Draco asked the rulers of the Twilight Kingdom

The King and Queen looked at each other for a while and then Spyro replied,**We´ll tell you inside**

And with that the two pairs of Dragons headed towards the castle with the Gods and Goddesses in tow laughing and joking in the light of a New Day


	5. Cynder s Fate

Chapter 5: Cynder´s Fate

The Chill of the Night air surrounded the Twilight Kindom,progressing through the winding corridors and up the stone staircases,making unsuspecting Dragon and Dragoness shiver uncontrollably as they returned to their quarters for the night as Spyro,Cynder,Draco and Faithconversed quietly,Huge wooden tables spanned the length of the chamber so that all the Dragons of the Kingdom could sit and eat peacefully,the servants had put out dozens of plates,laden with delicious meats and fish,mouth watering fruit and vegetables and soft bread

However once everyone had their fill,they adjourned for the night which left dozens of plates of food uneaten and the four Dragons were the only ones that remained.

**So how are you two coping in the village,**Cynder asked the pair as she tore off a slice of meat from her plate

**Very well Cyn**,replied Faith,her silver eyes gleaming in the low light

**Yes,everyone there has been so kind to us,we´ve been there for about...four years now**

**Five Dear,**Faith giggled as she corrected him,giving him a playful lick on the cheek.

**I heard that this village is famous for its drinking competitions,am I correct**

Cynder choked back a laugh on the vintage she was drinking from her goblet as her lover said these words

**And how did you hear about that,**they both playfully asked the King

**I heard it from Ignitus,when he was a young Dragon eagerly exploring the world,he stopped there for a night,in the Inn,he went looking for a room and came across a group of Dragons involved in a drinking game,Ignitus said he was dumbstruck how much they actually drank,it was like they had immunity to the stuff.**

Both Dracon and Faith laughed at that remark

**Yes there are quite allot of them who partake of ale,isn´t there Draco**

**There is and more than often it has gone on all night,but believe us when we say it´s never got violent**

**I suppose when you live in such a tight nit community,it´s a way of getting to know everyone,**Spyro commented to which Faith and Draco nodded rapidly

**Well I haven´t seen Spyro take a swig of the stuff in ages,**Cynder remarked as she gazed at the Golden King

**Not a heavy drinker then Spyro**,Faith inquired

Spyro´s cheeks reddened slightly in contrast to his golden scaled coat,**It´s not that Faith,it´s just that when you have a Kingdom to run,you never get the time to enjoy yourself**

**Yeah and what´s more,you´re a light weight aren´t you little bro**,Draco teased

**No,I´m not,I can drink a fair amount when I want to**,Spyro protested

**Oh Spyro its okay,You don´t have to feel ashamed,**Cynder said as she gave him a playful nip on the neck

**Right,I´ll show you lot,**Spyro said and grabbed a half full jug of ale,He poured the contents out of the bronze metal and into his goblet,Without thinking about it,he grasped the goblet with his golden paw and drank it all down in one,While he gulped down the refreshing taste,the trio watched him with playful smiles.

When he had finished,he placed his goblet down on the table with a resounding bang which echoed,He smacked his lips together in satisfaction of the warming embrance of the concotion

**Aaaaahhhh,that was good,Anyone else care to join me.**he said challenging them and shaking the jug in their direction.

**Why not,**Cynder said slyly and lifted her Goblet up and let Spyro fill her up

**And you two,**the King asked

Draco looked over at his mate

**We may as well,we can´t let these two get drunk by themselves,**Faith laughed

**Go on then,hand the jug here Spy**,his brother replied

The quartet kept drinking well into the night,their laughs and giggles getting louder,Servants came to check on them now and again,but they only demanded more ale every time,When they did eventually leave the chamber and head to their rooms,their gaits were sluggish and clumsy,as they wound down the corridors,Draco and Spyro were clutching their mates in their strong paws,giving the two girls support and comfort from the chill of the night air

Once again the giant ball of light casually made its way over the horizon to mark the occasion of another new day,Spyro and Cynder had intended to sleep in that morning to get over the worst of their hangover,however Draco and Faith who were used to such driking occasions,came knocking on the room of the King and the Queen,too early for their liking,Both of the Dragons groaned into their pillows,but didn´t open their eyes,it was when the rapping noise resounded again that Spyro opened a lazy eye

**Yes,**he called out sluggishly

**Are you awake,**Draco said through the wooden door

**No,we´re resting a bit more,and you guys should too**,he called back and then shut his eyes once again

The door opened and Draco and Faith glided into the room,their claws striking the stone floor as they walked,They had big grins in their faces

**Come on guys,wakey wakey,you have a Kingom to rule**,Faith laughed

Cynder awoke also and rubbed yellow specks of sleep from her emerald eyes

**No guys,we need to sleep in a bit more**,Cynder pleaded

**I see that drinking last night put you two out for the count**,said Draco

With a flash Faith and Draco leapt onto the violet duved cover and started boucing up and down on the bed

**Come on guys,get out of bed now**,they shouted

Cynder and Spyro groaned and begged them to stop,but that only made them bounce all the more,They finally relented when the pair got off the bed and started to pull the covers off them

**Okay Okay you win**,Spyro said lazily

They both sat up and streched out their long majestic wings,They got out of bed and instantly regretted it

**Ahhh...my head**,Spyro commented

**Mine too,I knew we shouldn´t have drunk that much**,Cynder replied shaking her head

**Don´t worry,you guys will soon shrug it off**,Faith smiled

And with that,the four Dragons made their way to the chamber with constant groans of agony from the royal couple trying to shrug off their hangovers 

Throughout the day the Kingdom carried on as usual,the Gods and Goddesses were in the chamber as usual to greet the couple and their siblings,however one of them was absent,The dark Purple hide of Galaxia was nowhere to be seen

**Has anybody seen Galaxia,**Cynder asked them

They all shook their heads and murmured that they hadn´t

**Very well,I´ll go to her quarters and see if she´s there**,she said to Spyro

**Sure**,he said,nuzzling her dark face with his golden sheen before she padded down the corridor they had just come from.

He Turned back round to face the Dragons in the chamber,all of which were conversing between themselves,The King then made up his mind that now was the time to discuss the Shadow Clan and what must be done to get rid of them,he would furnish his Queen on the details at a later date

**Friends**,the King bellowed

They all stopped talking and turned in the direction of their majesty.

**I need to talk to you all in private,follow me**,he said

He went over to a door on the far side of the chamber,opened it and ushered the ten strong Dragons and Dragonesses into the room,he then closed the door and started to tell them what he knew of the Shadow Warriors.

The ebony Queen rapped on the wooden door and awaited a reply,A few seconds passed in awkward pause,all that could be heard were distant echoes of Dragons claws on the stone floor and incessant jabbering to one-another,However what they were talking about Cynder could not decipher,She was just about to rap a dark scaled paw on the rough oak once again when there was a reply from within

**Come in,**a voice croaked

The Queen opened the door and entered into Galaxia´s Quarters,However when she saw the Galaxy Goddess laid up in bed she gave a start.

**Galaxia,are you okay**,The Queen asked worryingly,rushing over to her.

**Yes...I´m fine**,she said weakly.

All Cynder could see of the Dragoness under the covers was her head and face,but instead of it being a lavish dark purple,her cheeks were flushed,her eyes were drowsy and by the way she kept sniffling she surmised her nostrils were blocked as well

**You´ve got Dragon Fever haven´t you**

**Just a small bout of it**,she replied before coughing violently

Cynder gasped as she said this,**Dragon Fever when caught can cause high temperature,a cold,dizziness,stomach cramps,coughing,vomiting and in some extreme cases paralysis and partial or complete loss of the Dragon Element**

**When did you catch it**

**This...morning**

**Oh Galaxia**,Cynder sobbed 

She reached underneath the covers and found one of Galaxia´s limp paws and took it in hers,she hated seeing Galaxia like this,especially after all she had done for her and Spyro.

**Cynder,don´t touch me,you could catch it too**,she pleaded

**I don´t care Galaxia,you´re my friend,i´m not going to abandon you**

**Thanks**

Another outburst of coughs sounded from Galaxia and she shuddered at trying to control them,When she had finally settled down,she was panting and short of breath

**Could you get me...a glass of water...please,**she said pointing to the jug on the table next to the bed

Cynder let go of Galaxia´s paw and padded over to the mahogany table,she gripped the jug tightly in her maw and filled it up in the sink 

**I would have got...it myself...but it hurts to move about**

The Queen nodded and got a glass from out of a cabinet close by,while she was pouring out the water from the jug,she asked Galaxia to sit up,the galaxy element Dragoness slowly unfurled her purple wings so that she could sit up properly,Cynder went over and handed the glass to her,she then put the jug back on the table,She nodded her thanks and took small sips of the water,when she had taken her fill,she set it on the table next to the jug 

Cynder stayed with Galaxia for some time,it hurt Galaxia to speak so Cynder told her about Faith and a few adventures that her and her sister had as younglings,When Cynder left Galaxia,she promised to come back later and check how she was doing,despite Galaxia´s protests,She then closed the door silently and let the Galaxy Goddess get some well earned rest,She then padded back to through the various corridors to tell her lover and the others what condition Galaxia was in,She arrived at the Chamber,only to find that it was completely vacant,She was about to turn around and head for her quarters when she heard muffled voices coming from a room to the right of her,she went up to it and pressed her head onto the wooden door and listened to what the voices were saying 

**agreed then,we embark for the Dark Twilight Realm tomorrow**,Spyro said

**Aye Sire**,all the Dragons agreed in unison

**My parents,Drake and Hydra,were the ones who banished them in the first place,I was told in a vision that by mastering the Element of Illusion it would help in repelling control of the Shadow that the Shadow Warriors possessed**

**That Dark Twilight Realm is a creepy place**,Faith said slightly scared

**Don´t worry Faith**,Draco said nuzzling her,**just stick with me and you´ll be safe**

**Guys,you don´t need to come with us,this is royal business**,Spyro said to Draco and Faith

**I´m not letting you go into a nest of renegade Dragons by yourself,bro**

**Yes and I´m not letting my Sister´s mate come to harm if it kicks off**,Faith responded

The Golden King nodded,happy that they were coming with them 

**Sire,what shall we do if we can´t persuade the renegade Dragons to join us**,Ignitus piped up

**Then we shall leave their realme and let them carry on as they are**,the King replied

Cynder then took her head away from the door having heard enough

**They´re going to bring the renegade Dragons back,so that´s what Spyro was doing with Lars Lion and Ignitus,well I´m going to be of some use to the Kingdom now,I´ll bring the Shadow Dragons back to the Kingdom tonight and save everyone the trouble,Spyro will be so pleased,**she thought to herself 

And in a merry mood,she flapped her wings and flew down the corridors,wasting no time in her journey to the Dark Twilight Realm.

**And what if the Shadow Warriors won´t let us leave sire,they are a very aggressive bunch so I hear**,Glacius murmured

Spyro sighed at the Ice God´s comment,**I know they have been known to kill any stray Dragons that wonder into their realm but I think all together we´ll be more than a match for them,We´ll just have to keep our wits about us and stay together**

Again the Dragons nodded in agreement

**Right any more questions,No,good,Right I´ll find Cynder and let her know what we have been talking about and with any luck,we can avoid anyone getting killed**

Cynder had flown for hours in her attempt to reach the Dark Twilight Realm,the sun was beginning to dip over the horizon,and the fading light brought a growing sense of unease,She saw a large tree growing out of a forest and decided to rest there for a while,She touched down on a large protruding branch and folded in her wings,Beads of sweat were present on her forehead and flanks and she was slightly out of breath.

**I didn´t think it would...take this much effort**,she said to herself.

She scanned the horizon with her sharp young eyes,huge dominating hills rose from the ground a few miles from her position,She recalled Spyro talking once about the divide between the Light and Dark Realms,He said that when you flew north for a time and spotted several big hills rising above the lush forests and vegetation then those were the divide between the realms,However there it was mostly swamp and marshland with boggy terrain and dead vegetation,A smile spread across her face knowing that she was close to finding the Shadow Dragons,She rested for a few moments more and took off once again,as she got higher to cross over the hills the wind began to pick up and howled at her,However she continued working her wings harder and gaining altitude with every moment that passed. 

A knock came at the door,Galaxia slowly opened her eyes and groaned as she turned over and answered the sound,**Come in**,she said as she put her paw to her mouth and let out a burst of coughs

The door creaked open as Spyro stepped through into her quarters

**Hello sire**,she said in a croaky voice

A disturbed look spread over the King´s face,**Galaxia,are you alright.**

**It´s just a little Dragon Fever...didn´t Cynder tell you**,she coughed.

Spyro closed the door and padded over to her,**I´ve been trying to find her Galaxia,but it´s no good,I can´t think where she´s got to.**

Galaxia sat up in bed and winced in pain as she reached across to her half full glass of water and took a few sips

**Cynder´s been here then**

**Yes,this morning,We talked for a while and then she left,I thought she was going back to the chamber**,she replied as she set her drink down in the table

**Have you seen her since then**,the King asked

**Afraid n...ah**,she winced

**Are you okay**

**Yes,it´s just a headache...don´t worry about it**,she said as she clutched her head with a limp paw. 

**Well listen,I´ll tell the Gods and Goddesses that you´re ill and that´s why you weren´t present this morning**

**Thanks**,she said as she stifled another cough

Spyro turned around and headed for the door but was stopped by Galaxia

**Wait...I sense the Queen but not anywhere near here**

**Where is she**,Spyro asked,concern etched in his voice

Galaxia closed her eyes and tried to concentrate despite her constant head pain,because she was a Galaxy Dragon,she could sense a friend´s thoughts and feelings and know when they were in danger.

**Cynder is very tired,she´s been flying for ages,she is determined to find something...she´s ventured into the...no...that can´t be right**

**What**,Spyro said as he walked closer to the bed

She opened her eyes,her eyes filled with sadness and terror,**Cynder overheard you talking to the others Dragons in the war meeting,you had this morning...she´s ventured out to fing the Shadow Dragons...and she´s about to enter the Dark Twilight Realm**

**WHAT**,Spyro exploded

**We need to go now**,Galaxia said as she very painfully climbed out of bed

**No Galaxia,You need to stay here**,Spyro yelled as he raced towards the door

**But I can help you find her more quickly**,she coughed

**No,Stay here and rest,I´ll gather the others and set off for the Dark Twilight Realm**

**But sire**

**Please Galaxia**

She stopped speaking and slowly nodded,**Aye sire**

Spyro nodded and raced out of her quarters and went to find the others slamming the door with his golden tail blade,As Galaxia got back into bed and lay down,she tried to get back to sleep and rest but she could still sense Cynder´s emotional state,she tried to block it out and slowly closed her eyes and pulled the covers around her,A few tears escaped from her closed eyes.

**Oh Cynder**,she whimpered

She passed into the Dark Twilight Realm and flew over the dark abyss,although the sun had not completely passed over the horizon,it seemed to be allot darker here than in the Light Twilight Realm,Swamp and dead trees littered the groound for miles around,nothing seemed to be moving or growing,the only thing that Cynder could hear was the constant howling off the wind battering her ears.

**How could any Dragon live here**,she thought to herself as she swept over the bleak scenery

She glided on the air and dived slightly so she was a few meters above the foliage,She continued to look around for any sign of the Shadow Dragons but she didn´t have much luck,A while later she spied a small rock formation in the distance

**I´ll try looking there**,she said 

As the rock formation grew nearer,she spied several objects creatures on the top of it,She smiled as she saw this,because to her they looked very much like Dragons,Although fatigued she flapped her wings faster,intent on getting to them as soon as possible,The wind whistled even more as she picked up speed,Cynder began to wonder if they were Dragons at all because they didn´t move,they stood as still as the rocks themselves,But her suspicious were justified when one of the objects stretched it´s wings and started to fly towards her. 

She stopped and hovered in mid air awaiting the Dragons arrival when they were a few meters apart,Cynder opened her mouth to speak.

**Hello There,I´m Cyn...,**She began

A blast of dark purple energy flew towards her,Cynder was so surprised,she had no time to get out of the way,The wave of energy hit her full on,burning her face,body and scales,She yelled with pain and dropped out of the sky towards the trees and the swamps below,barely conscious and totally stunned,The wind whistled past her ever faster now,the world spinning around her,and the purple blue sky getting further and further away,When she was just about to hit the trees,a pair of paws grabbed her fall,her half open eyes got a glimpse of a bulky dark Dragon staring at her with serious eyes and a grim expression before she passed out.

The last rays of sunlight were starting to fade from the sky as Spyro,Faith,Draco and the Gods and Goddesses flew as fast as their wings would let shadows became shimmering forms on the tops of the trees as they sped past tree after after lake,forest after forest.

**Did Galaxia say exactly where...Cyn was**,Faith asked Spyro panting

**No,all that she said was...that she has crossed into...the Dark Twilight Realm**,the King replied equally out of breath

**Let´s hope we´re not too late**,Ignitus said

The convoy flew ever faster towards the border,the sun had now completely gone and now there was barely any light save for the moon and the luminous stars,While they swept towards the light and dark divide,they silently prayed that they weren´t too late 

Cynder slowly stirred from her uncoscious state,she groaned as she started to feel the effects of the Shadow blast,she could feel the burning sensations of it but she could feel the worst of it were starting to wear off,she slowly began to open her eyes,but at first she could only see shapes and shadows,However eventually everything began to take focus and see where she was,She was in a clearing,surrounded by ugly large trees with vines hanging from each one,she looked around her and to her left she could see the rock formation that she saw from a distance and that´s when it all came back to her.

She tried to get up but found that she counldn´t and something was holding her back,she looked down and saw that several huge vines were tied around her smooth pink chest and that was what she was tied to,her captors had also seen fit to tie her front paws and tail behind the tree also with vines,bound her wings together and when she tried to cry out she realised they had also bound her maw as well

**What have I done,How could I be so stupid**,she thought

Tears slipped out of her eyes and down her ebony cheeks,She started to moan silently wishing she was back in the Twilight Kingdom,with family and friends and people who cared about her,Then suddenly she heard a low rumbling sound to her left,she looked around at the rock formation and saw a piece of the solid grey matter suddenly slide away to one side,with a pair of dark paws manipulating it on the other,Cynder moaned a gasp as the rock stopped moving and out came eight shifting Dragons who slowly padded towards her,she couldn´t see their facial features or what colour they were,She shivered as they continued to advance towards her,not just because she was scared but because of the chill that started to crrep around her

One of the Shadow suddenly spoke up,**So you think you can just waltz into our realm whenever you feel like it**

A gruff voice called from the pack,**You should have known better young Dragoness,no-one dares venture into the Dark Twilight Realm and gets away with it,**battered another

Cynder started to shiver all the more,her heart began to pump faster,She tried to protest but all she could utter was muted groans,She dropped her head in defeat and felt tears beginning to form in her eyes,Then one of them approached her,placed a claw to her chin and brought her face up to meet his gaze,as her eyes began to adjust to the poor light,she saw that it was the Dragon who had rescued her from falling and who also shot the blast of Shadow fire at her,his deep blue eyes burnt into her,seeing all the fear that was contained in her lime green pupils.

He turned away and adressed the group,**Just look at her,she´s frightened,very frightened,She´s young and carefree,I don´t think she came to fight us**

**Maybe not Shadow,but she sought us out on purpose,that much is certain**

**So maybe she was sent by someone,surely you´re just a bit curious Phantom,**Shadow said to the lead Dragon

For a few moments,the group of Dragons didn´t speak,then shortly after,Phantom spoke up

**Very well,until the vines around her maw,let´s see why she´s here**,as the Black Dragon sneered in the Darkness

Shadow turned around and placed a claw on the first of the vines that bound Cynder´s mouth,he then locked eyes with her again,**I´m going to release your gag now but only if you promise not to scream and make an enormous racket of use your elements,Understand.**

Cynder nodded swiftly in recognition of his words and with one swift swipe,the Dark Dragon ran his claw along the vines which snapped automatically and flooped to the ground,The Queen of the Twilight Kingdom gnashed her fangs together,getting rid of the ache that plagued them.

**At least I can talk now and prove that I´m not and enemy**,she thought

Shadow backed away from her and returned to the group,She could now make out the group of Dragons features,the lead Dragon,Phantom was a jet black colour,matching the same as Shadow and with the same blue eyes,She guessed that they were brothers,Behind them were six other Dragons:Another one was a Shadow Dragon as black as the other two,all though a bit slimmer in build compared to Phantom and Shadow,She also saw two Dark red Dragons,a Lightning Black Dragon,one Ice Black Dragon and lastly a well built Earth Dark Dragon.

**Lync,get a flame going,the young girl looks awfully cold**,Phantom suggested with a evil grin

**Will do**

She saw the Fire Dark Dragon fly up and yank off a large branch with his powerful forearms,he then flew down and stuck it in the ground near where Cynder lay,Flames flew out of his mouth as he lit the top of the branch,The flames gave comforting warmth to Cynder and this dried her tears and a warm smile spread across her face,However it soon turned into a snarl as Lync puckered his lips and made a smooching sound at her,He then made his way back to the group as Phantom started to talk

**So tell me young Dragoness,what is your name**

**Cynder**,she replied automatically

**Well Cynder,what brings you to our humble land,**he asked

**Well...I wanted to bring you a message...from the Twilight Kingdom**

As soon as she said those last words,the entire group roared with hate and anger,Phantom flew towards her with pace and when he landed he grabbed her neck with a strong paw and started choking her,She could see his face properly now,it was lined with traces of deep scars that he must have carried for years,His eyes were alive with fury and his mouth was curled into a snarl

**Don´t you dare mention that place here**

**It was the King and Queen of that blasted Kingdom who drove us out in the first place**,the Earth Dark Dragon roared

**Aye,drove us out,made us a renegade band**,the Ice Dragon said as he spat into the ground.

**I...I´m Sorry,**Cynder murmured,trying to breathe with Phantom´s paw still clutched around her throat 

Phantom finally release his grip on her,for a few seconds she kept coughing and her breath was erratic,she really was in terror now,thinking what these Shadow Dragons would do if they found out she was the Queen

**So what is this message**,the Earth Dark Dragon boomed

**That...you Dragons...are no longer banished...you are free to return**

Nothing could be heard except alien sounds coming from the trees and the wind continuing to howl through the barren land

**You mean we can come back**,The other Fire Dragon asked

**Yes...you can return to Twilight Realm**

**But what if we don´t want to go back**,Phantom said

Shadow turned to face the lead Dragon,**Now come on little Brother,this gives us a chance to return to our homeland to be free Dragons again**

**Shadow as long as I live,I will not live in a realm that is controlled by the cursed Royal Family,don´t forget they are responsible for putting us here in the first place**

**But at least they seek to make amends now,**Shadow said encouragingly

**How did you lot end up here in the first place**,Cynder asked

Phantom turned to stare at her again,an amusing look in his eye,**Oh you´ll soon find out,Anyway,what´s your role in all this**

**I...I work as a servant**,She lied

He sneered at her,**Well,your employers can´t think much of you,sending you here**

**Why...why not**,She gulped

He drew right up close so he was looking down on her,lying in the dry grass,his sneer remained as the others came up to join him and crowded around her,apart from Shadow who hung his head in shame,Cynder began to tremble all over,she thought her head would explode.

**You see Cynder,we were banished because the Twilightians Dragons couldn´t understand our ways,**Phantom continued

**They drove us out because of it,scarred us,beat us,cast us out**,The Shadow Dragon Spectra spoke,showing the scars across his face and body,Cynder then realised that every Shadow Dragon had them

**We kill any wandering Dragon who is brave or foolish enough to come by**,Hydron,the Shadow Ice Dragon chuckled

Phantom nodded towards Shadow,**My big brother was banished along with us,but he still holds true to his values,he will never prey on young Dragons,it reminds him too much of the children that he had back in the Twilight Realm,He tried to let us set you free,but we were too hungry for that**

Cynder struggled to try and get herself free but it was hopeless,the vines were too strongly attached to the tree

**Society wouldn´t accept us...they could never look us in the eye after they caught us**,Phantom muttered to which they all nodded glumly

**What are you talking about**,Cynder asked,continuing to struggle with her bonds before she heard the horrible truth

**You see Cynder,we like Dragons more than you´d think...we like the smell of them...the feel of them...the taste of them**,Phantom said as he licked his lips

Her mouth dropped wide open as she finally knew the answer,she could hardly utter the words that came to her mind,**You mean...you are cannibals**

**AYE**,they all roared and with hunger in their bellies they ran towards her for the first delicious bite

Cynder screamed and unleashed her convexity breath,the black jet hit three of the pack who scrambled back in agony,thrashing around on the grass,before she could hit any more of them,Zenoheld unleashed a ball of flame,which hit Cynder full on,The boiling heat started to sear her flesh and she screamed,She tried to unleash her Shadow element but then Phantom hit her with his Shadow Breath,Again she screamed in agony as it burnt through her flesh,They tried to get near her but she snapped at them and tried to bite them with her sharp fangs,but then a paw whacked her full on in the face,and she lay back completely dazed,teetering on the edge of unconsciouness,The three that she had burned with her convexity breath were now back on their feet and advancing towards her,wincing as her element continued to burn their flesh

They swarmed around her and started to tear bits out of chest cavity and main body,she was stunned with shock however and couldn´t feel much,They continued to tear away at her,their mouths red with her blood gushing out and her flesh fresh in their mouths,hungry for more,They continued to consume her,pushing her right up to the tree,bracing her so they could get their fangs deeper in,As Cynder´s eyelids closed,dazed and hopeless as she was,she could´ve sworn that on between all the Dragon bodies clad around her there was Spyro and others Dragons coming towards her

**It can´t...be**,she murmured softly

Shadow saw them first,he shouted an alarm and all of them ceased their feast and stared into the sky,before any of them could react,the King of the Twilight Realm let loose a devastating burst of Thunder Fire at the pack,The enormous burst struck several of them,they immediately howled in agony,their scales burning and electricity surging through their bodies,The Others Dragons next to Spyro immediately started to use their elements to disperse them,Shadow fired a burst of Shadow at the King,but Spyro easily avoided it by barrel rolling to one side 

**We need to go**,roared Shadow

**Right,We´re no match for them,Retreat**,Shouted Phantom

The eight renegade Dragons immediately took off into the swamp fleeing from the Elemental attacks that bombarded them,Spyro flew down with the others and in the burning of the flame saw Cynder barely conscious

**NOOO**

He rushed over to her and gently shook her,**Cynder,Cynder it´s me**

**Spyro,is...that you**,she said

The Others Dragons came to rest where they were,they all gasped at the state of their Queen

**Cynder,Cynder,No**,Faith yelled

Faith and Draco quickly cut the bonds that held her to the tree,releasing her limbs and wings

**How could they**,yelled Faith tears streaming down her cheeks

**Damned Shadow Dragons,Curse you**,Draco roared into the swamp

**Ignitus,is there anything you can do**,his voice a low whisper,blinking back tears

The veteran inspected her closely,her breathing was weak,she was bleeding heavily from several areas and there were chunks of flesh missing from her chest and upper body,exposing the pink parts underneath,Ignitus shook his head sadly and turned away,not wishing to say that it was over for the Queen,all the Gods and Goddesses held their heads to the groung in sadness,Draco looked into the swamp in anger,his red eyes piercing into the Darkness while he wrapped his wings around Faith and let her cry on his shoulder.

**Spyro...I´m sorry**,Cynder said faintly

He stared into her half shut eyes,tears beginning to form,**No,No Cynder,everything will be ok,we´ll get you back to the Kingdom,patch you up,everything will be back to normal**

**I´m...sorry**,She said once again,and using up the last of her strength,she gulped down the blood that was forming in her mouth,lifted her head up to meet his,and while Spyro held her up,she kissed him,their lips embracing one another once again,their floods of tears combining to form floods of Sadness,She ended the kiss and she stared into his eyes,her face reflected in them

**I...love...**

Then her emerald eyes disappeared beneath her eyelids,her neck became limp and the Queen of the Twilight Realm breathed her last and accepted death,casting silence over the party with hardly any sound but Faith´s moans at the loss of her dear twin Sister 


	6. Cynder s Rebirth

Chapter 6: Cynder´s Rebirth

Spyro crouched beside Cynder and cradled her in his golden scaled paws,he buried his head into her slender neck,sobbing out heartfelt tears which slowly ran down her dark scaled body,The Gods and Goddesses remained with their heads bowed,still trying to cope with the loss of their Queen

After what seemed like hours,Draco and Faith padded up next to their grieving King,Draco held her tail in his,comforting her and giving her just enough strength to look at her dead twin sister,Faith slowly crouched down beside the royal pair,tears still straining through her silver eyes,She put a comforting paw on Spyro´s back,making him look up and cast a despairing eye in her direction.

**Spyro,if you wouldn´t mind...I...I´d like to hold my sister too...just for a while,**she silently spoke through slight sobbing.

The King of the Twilight Realm looked away and after a few deep breaths,nodded and laid her gently on the smooth duvet of yellow grass,He then slowly got back up and slowly padded away with his gold wings and neck dipped in depression,Draco let go of his mate´s tail and let her hold her twin as he went to comfort Spyro,His brother stopped near the cluster of rocks,as Draco got nearer,he could see that the King was shivering uncontrollably,but he could sense that it wasn´t because of the cold

**Spyro,you´re not to bl-**,Draco started to say

**WHY**,he suddenly exploded,shocking the Dragons around them

**How could I have let this happen,**he shouted sinking to the ground and burying his head in his paws

**Look...Spyro-,**Draco attempted again

Spyro craned his neck to look round at his bigger brother,pools of tears forming in his depressed light blue eyes.

**I should have told her,Someone should have told her why they were exiled**

The King rapidly got to his feet and pointed a scarlet claw that was slightly caked with dirt at the Gods and Goddesses

**You,One of you should have told her about the Shadow Clan,Why didn´t one of you mention it to her,**he boomed

The Gods and Goddesses looked at each other and then back to their King,not sure what to say

**Well**,the Golden Dragon shouted

Ignitus suddenly piped up,**My King,with all due respect,it didn´t really enter into our minds**

Spyro advanced slowly towards the Elder Dragon God as he spoke with anger,**Didn´t really enter into your minds...didn´t really enter into your minds...**

King Spyro stopped at where the Gods and Goddesses stood,Draco Unsure about what his little brother was going to do,Then suddenly the King leapt at the blue Dragon God pinning him to the ground,Ignitus and the other were stunned with shock at what was happening. 

**She´s dead,She´s dead,**yelled King Spyro as he started punching the Time God´s face,Draco immediately leapt at his brother,wrapped his midnight paws around him and tried to pull him off,However the King somehow managed to resist him and continued to assault the elderly Blue Dragon,The rest of them including Ignitus were just paralyzed with shock while Draco was silently whimpering

**Calm down bro,Fighting won´t bring her back**

**I don´t care,I loved her,I loved her,**He roared as tears fell from his angry eyes

**STOP IT**

They all stopped and looked at Faith,her face was a contorted mixture of wrath and sorrow,her red and puffy eyes bore into Spyro´s

**Look at her,Do you think she would have wanted you fighting**

Hard as it was,Spyro managed to look down upon his Queen again,although her dark elegant body had been savagely mutilated,she looked calm and composed,almost as if she were sleeping

**You´re...right,Faith,She wouldn´t have...wanted this,**the King sobbed

Shaking,Spyro got off Ignitus,Draco released him and let his little brother pad slowly over to his deceased loved one,The Dark Dragon then turned to the Blue Time God,still clutching his face which was now starting to show signs of bruising

**Are You Okay Ignitus,**Draco asked,offering him a paw

**Yes I think so young Dragon,**accepting Draco´s paw and slowly getting up

Spyro crouched down beside Faith and took Cynder from her paws,he clutched his Queen close to him,her elbony head resting against his white underbelly,He felt a moist paw on his shoulder

**We´ll give you some time,**Faith said softly,before going over to check on her mate and Ignitus,The King let out a deep breath as fresh tears continued to rise out of him,he gazed down at her and through the light of the fire could make out small cakes of dirt covering her body,He let his Golden wings wrap around her dead cold body so that all he could see was her,The forest,the alien noises and the opaque night sky were all drowned out,It was just him and her in their own little universe.

**I´m...sorry Cynder**

He slowly opened his mouth and moved his pink tongue around her face removing the dirt and impurities from her he then set about moving his tongue down her body,going down her neck,her chest and finally her tail,doing his best not to look at the chunks of her body that were missing,Satisfied that she was clean he brought her even closer to his chest,ignoring the blood that was slowly oozing out of her many wounds.

After some time had passed,he felt another paw on his shoulder,Accepting that he couldn´t stay in this place forever,he slowly unfurled his wings and let the world flow back,He slowly turned his neck to see Ignitus standing behind him,his face now slightly darker than it was before

**Ignitus...please forgive me**

**I do my King,I do,listen King Spyro this may not be the end for Cynder**

He drew a golden paw and rubbed his eyes,**What do you mean**,he sniffed

**This may not be the best time sire,but can you remember how you came back.**

**Of course I do,through Ambrose**

**So...,**Ignitus continued

Through saddened eyes and a depressed mind,Spyro suddenly grasped what Ignitus was getting at,his violet eyes suddenly lit up with new energy,and his golden scales seemed to get their old shine back.

**Of course Ambrose,he can bring Cynder back the same way he did with me**

Ignitus nodded while behind them the other Gods and Goddesses heads and wings pricked up understanding what their King was talking about,Spyro flexed his wings with Cynder in his forepaws ready to carry his mate out of this barren land. 

**What about the exiled,I want to get my fangs around their throat for what they´ve done,**Draco replied,snapping his jaws together ,to which followed murmurings of agreements from the Gods and Goddesses.

**You´ll have to wait Draco,Don´t worry,I will exact my revenge upon them,but first we need to revive Cynder and return to the Kingdom,Let´s go.**

And with that,King Spyro took off immediately into the night,his golden wings flapping wildly,eager to leave

**Come on then,**commanded Ignitus and the convoy of Dragons took off and headed back to the Twilight Kingdom,leaving the burning embers to put themselves out in a chaotic and desolate place 

The wind rushed past Spyro´s ears as he began to descend towards the fertile forests of his Kingdom,he still had Cynder clutched tightly in his claws,never loosening his grip,He craned his neck towards the group of Dragons who were descending with him

**Can anyone see Ambrose´s house**

A few swift mutterings of **no,nope** and **not a find**,were the replies

**Even at night...it shouldn´t be...too hard to find...his house,assuming he has...lit some candles...in that house of his,**Ignitus panted

The group of Dragons stopped their descent and flew on,a few feet above the tops of trees,The aching sensation of constantly flight was starting to spread to their beating wings and drowsiness was causing their eyelids to drop

**Sire is it possible to have a rest,**Exedra the Darkness God replied

**Aye,a few minutes rest would do me the world of good,**Lars Lion agreed

**No,we push on,I´m not resting until my Cynder breaths again,**Spyro said sternly

Groaning they pushed on through the dark shadows of the forest,the beating of their wings and the howling wind were all that they could hear,finally after what seemed like an age,King Spyro saw some faint yellow glows in the distance

**I think we´ve arrived,**he shouted back to the group

They all breathed a sigh of gratitude and as one they all started to descend closer to the tree tops towards the glow,They flexed their wings at an angle so their speed would decrease,As they descended directly underneath the glow,their draconic eyes could see the darkened outline of a house and the candles that the glow was coming from

King Spyro touched down on the ground and gently swung Cynder´s limp body onto his golden back,He looked round to the group of Dragons.

**Ignitus,I want you to come with me,Ambrose will be grumpy enough with being woken up in the middle of the night,we don´t want him dealing with a whole group of Dragons in his house too**

Ignitus bowed,furled his wings and padded over to his King

**The rest of you can wait here or you can go back to the Palace,I don´t mind**

He turned back to Ambrose´s house and knocked on the wooden door,For a while nothing happened and then they heard a slight mumbling sound coming from the side of the house,Then soft padding could be heard from within and a few seconds later the wooden door was unlocked and opened,A deep red Dragon took up the doorway,a lot Grander than Ignitus and it seemed far older,He had deep wrinkles beginning to form around his eyes and face,and a few of his scales were starting to peel away.

**Why do you disturb me at this hour,**he grumbled

**Look,we´re sorry to disturb you but our...our Queen,**Ignitus said pointing his neck to the limp figure on Spyro´s back

Ambrose had to squint out into the Darkness to see her black figure against Spyro shimmering scales,when he did eventually spot her,he humbly shook his head 

**Ignitus,Spyro,bring her inside and shut the door behing you,**huffled

Ambrose and his red torso retracted back into the house inviting them in,Ignitus and Spyro walked stiflly onto the wooden surface,their claws clashing noisily on the dry wood,Once Spyro was over the threshold,he closed the door with a fluent sweep of his tail blade and the rest of the Dragons lay down on the soft ground.

**When did this happen,**Ambrose inquires as he lit some more candles with a tinge of breath

**A few hours ago,the exiled Dragons...**,Spyro piped up

The Fire Dragon put the candles next to the body of Cynder which Spyro conviently laid on the carpet,he saw the scars and mutilated parts of Cynder´s body flinching with every bite mark and part of flesh he saw

**Her body has been extensively damaged,there´s nothing I can do for her**,he concluded putting the extra candles on a table and curling on his cushion on the floor.

**What,**Spyro said angrily

**Her body has been extensively damaged,there´s nothin I-**

**I know what you said,**Spyro huffled,angrily striding up to Ambrose

**So why are you still here,**Ambrose said calmly closing his eyes

Fuming Spyro unleashed a furious burst of fire and set the cushion alight,Ambrose took one big breath and rolled out of his cushion

**Listen to me,you rebuilt a new body for me,why won´t you do the same for Cynder**

**Because it takes and enormous amount of energy for me to create a new body**

Ambrose said as he padde over to a side board and grasped a bucket of water in his blood red maw

**We will give you anything that you desire,Ambrose,I´m sure that you desire something that we can give you**

**You would have thought so wouldn´t you,as it happens,I don´t want anything else,I´m happy here in my house in the forest,lovely and peaceful,**Ambrose explained before pouring some water from the bucket onto the smouldering cushion

**So why did you bring me back then,**cried Spyro

**Well one,I knew your parents Drake and Hydra well,so I felt honour bound to bring you back to help in the running of the Kingdom and two to deal with those bloody Shadow Dragons,that your parents banished**

Ambrose padded over to the side board and put the pale of water back in it´s place,He turned round to find the Golden Dragon´s neck limp and his head direct to the ground

**Please-,**Spyro began to plead

**Look sire,once someone is dead,they should remain dead,it´s unnatural to bring someone back from the grave,I am truly sorry for your loss really I am,Now go back home and let me get some rest**

Ambrose lit a small flame from his maw close to the cushion so it dried the water,however it did nothing to the scorch marks that had now been imprinted on it,He once again curled up on ot and found a relaxed position,Ignitus put a cyan paw on his King´s shoulder,**Come sire,we will hold a great funeral for Cynder and a farewell banquet to boot**

He remover his paw and padded slowly towards the door,however Spyro didn´t move and inch,his eyes still fixed on the Ancient Fire Dragon,After a while,Ambrose opened his tired eyes and looked at his majesty

**Ambrose,Cynder was the most precious thing in the world to me,I don´t know how I could carry on without her**

He looked down at the still form of his mate,He padde over to her and nuzzled her ebony face

**She gives me strength,she gives me courage,I wouldn´t be the Dragon I am today if it wasn´t for her,can´t you just do this one favour for me...your King**

Ambrose frowned as Spyro´s words took effect,even though he was in a new body,he still acted and sounded the same way as his father once did when he was speaking about his mother when he knew them all those years ago,With a groan,Ambrose got once again to his old feet and unfurled his wings

**Alright one last time,but don´t you ever bother me again with reviving anybody else,understand**

Spyro lit up and threw his paws around the old Dragon´s neck,ecstatic that he had accepted

**Oh Ambrose,Thankyou,Thankyou**

**You´re welcome,**he smiled as Spyro let go

**Spirit Grotto,**Ignitus piped up

**Aye,we need to go to the Spirit Grotto to recover her soul,which isn´t that far from here,only a Dragon of Imperial wisdom and good spiritual connection can communicate with lost souls**

**Alright,no need to rub it in,**Spyro laughed

**But I am not going anywhere at this time of night,I need a good night rest in order to be at full Strenght**

Spyro was about to argue,then shut his mouth immediately,Ambrose was only doing this out of Kindness,he could easily refuse again if he was riled up.

**Fine,**Ignitus replied,**I´ll bring the other shall I**

**Very Well,**Ambrose grumbled**,But they had better not make allot of noise or I´ll chuck all of you out otherwise**

**Agreed**,Ignitus replied and opened the door to fetch them

**Draco,keep quiet,That´ll be tricky,**Spyro said to him 

The early morning chill bit at their flanks as they rose higher and higher into the air to meet the sun on its ascent into the sky,Everyone was shivering as they tried to beat their wings faster to get some circulation and warmth into their bodies however it soon became apparent that Draco was suffering from the shivers allot more than anyone else

**Can we not drop a bit Ambrose,It´s freezing up here**

**Then you should have gone straight to sleep instead of telling jokes,**Faith smiled playfully nipping him on his dark scaled neck

**Right,that´s why I had to send you outside,you were causing everyone to giggle and keep me awake,**snorted Ambrose

**Although to the be fair,his jokes were funny,**laughed Lars Lion,to which the Gods and Goddesses chuckled in unison

**Oh Good**,Draco smiled,**Well then here´s another one:two dragons go into a bar...**

Spyro drowned out the rest of their conversation,it wasn´t important to him at the moment,all he was interested in was getting his Queen back,He didn´t care what new body she´d have ot what she looked like,As long as he could have his old Cynder back,he was content,He looked down at Cynder´s old body which Ambrose has asked him to bring,apparently it was due to the fact that an individual´s soul would respond allot better when they were shown a previous body they had been in,How a soul thinks and acts to that Spyro didn´t understand,but the quicker he got her back,the happier he will be

**Hang On Cyn,we´re coming**,Spyro thoughy 

They continued to fly on through forests of dark green trees,freshwater valleys and mountainous creeks,they kept on beating their wings at a good pace until eventually at midday they got to where the land just completely stopped altogether and they could see the gleaming blue of the ocean,This is where Ambrose stopped and hovered in midair,the others did likewise.

**Down there,**Ambrose pointed

They looked down to where the Ancient Dragon pointed to,it was part of the cliff face that ran directly down to the sea,there was a tiny bit of rock that arched out of the cliff face and it was covered in lime green moss,They followed Ambrose´s lead and carefully hovered down on the mossy platform,they realised that from the platform there was a tunnel that wound into the cave,however all they could see was Darkness

**So this is the Spirit Grotto**

**Yes Ambrose took me,the Gods and Goddesses here when we were ressurecting you**

**How far does it stretch down,**Faith asked

**Not too long,If all goes according to plan,I and Spyro should make it out soon enough**

**Wait just you two are going down there,**Draco inquired

**Of course,Spyro has chosen to take charge of her body,also she should be the first thing that her new eyes see,**Ambrose explained

They all nodded and Spyro took Cynder´s body from his forepaws and put her on his back making it far easier to carry her

**You guys wait here,we won´t be long,**Spyro said

The group nodded and lay down on the soft moss,The King looked over at Draco who winked back at him,With a grin spreading across his maw,he started padding down the cave after Ambrose 

**How much further,**Spyro asked

**Not too long now,my King,We´ll be there soon**

Spyro nodded and carried on wading through the Darkness,Cynder´s body was light so Spyro didn´t have to work a vast amount in order to carry her,Soon a blue glow flowed through the end of the cave,Letting Ambrose lead,Spyro followed him into the Spirit Grotto,They entered a small chamber that contained a pool of water the water was glowing a light blue,Spyro and Ambrose couldn´t get too near as their eyes still needed to readjust,There was a constant stream of water that flowed out of the cave wall and joined up to the pool

**This is where we will find Cynder´s soul,**Ambrose explained 

As their eyes readjusted,they could get closer to the pool,when they were just a few feet away,they had to squint in order to look straight into it

**The energy of so many souls causes this glow in the pool,some Dragons come here occasionally to pay respect to the sould of their friends of family**

**I never knew about this place**

**I see,your mother and father are here in this place too,I find that at times I connect with the spirits when I am lonely in my house just to converse with them,believe it or not,they are lonely too**

Ambrose continued to look into the glowing blue swirl of elemental energy deep in thought

**Umm,Ambrose**

**Oh yes...Spyro,lay Cynder´s body on the floor please**

He reached round and took Cynder´s corpse off his back and laid her on her back,her features facing up to the Spirit Pool

**Now Spyro,whatever happens you do not disturb me,you must not utter a word or make a single sound,do you understand.**

Spyro nodded swiftly and then Ambrose nodded back,he then took several deep breaths and closed his eyes,He started to mutter unintelligible things that Spyro could not hear,although the one word he could recognise and which he said over and over was **Cynder**

Suddenly Ambrose gasped and shuddered,he raised one of his forepaws towards the Spirit Pool and he started to glow an even deeper red,Suddenly a chaotic splash came out of the Spirit Pool,and a wavering,shimmering blue form of a Dragon appeared out of it,Spyro almost gasped as he recognised the thin,strong soul that was his mate 

Cynder´s soul thrashed around and tried to return to the Spirit Pool,but Ambrose opened up his paw,extending his five canvas coloured claws towards it,slowly but surely the bright blue form descended towards Cynder´s rotting body,despite it´s hardest protests to scramble back into the Pool,Eventually Ambrose had Cynder´s soul directly over her body,Ambrose opened his eyes and directed the last of his strength towards the soul,it was forced down Cynder´s mouth and disappeared,Barely an instant later the whole of Cynder´s dark body began to glow a luminescent white and she rose up a few feet in the air,the blinding light was so strong that Spyro had to use his wings to shield his eyes as well as close them,Then suddenly the glowing form of Cynder´s slowly fell to the ground,The white glow then faded and the entire cavern was returned to normal

Spyro waited for a few moments to let his eyes readjust after rubbing his eyes a few times he let them focus on what was in front of him,He could tell that it was Cynder,although it was no longer the Cynder that he once knew,What he was looking at was a silver scaled Dragoness,with equally graceful silver wings,a violet underbelly and wing membrane,golden wrist and ankle bands,the same emerald symbol on her forehead and powerful purple claws,Spyro stared open mouthed as he made his way towards her,the light from the Pool seemed to turn her coat of scales into a silver sun,gleaming in the light,He lay down beside her giving her a few playful licks on her cheeks 

**Cynder...Cynder...Cynder...,**he chanted into her ear

Slowly,Cynder began to stir and murmur,she lifted up her elegant silver neck with Spyro following her every inch,no matter what happens,he was going to be the first thing that she saw

**Cynder**,he called out once again

Her eyelids retracted,revealing two cyan eyes that gleamed,making the Spirit Pool seem like a dull glow,As she realised who it was,Cynder let out a cry of joy

**Spyro**

She leapt up and thrust her forepaws around him causing him to topple backwards on the hard stone floor,She immediately thrust her lips onto his and forced her tongue down his throat,the King giggled and Cynder snogged him over and over again,When she finally stopped,she looked at him with love and admiration

**Spyro,thank you,oh thank you for saving me**,Cynder cried as tears ran down her newly formed cheeks

**That´s okay Cyn**,he said as he pulled her into a hug,wrapping his golden wings around her licking her neck while tears started to form in his eyes as well

**Believe it ot not,you look even more graceful and beatiful than you ever did**

Cynder choked back a laugh as she sobbed into Spyro´s neck,happy to be with her mate and majesty once more 


End file.
